Hello LSC.

At the end of each season, we like to take some time to present a recap of what we’ve done for Lake St. Catherine on behalf of the lake community and our membership. 

It was a year like no other, filled with uncertainty. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, we wondered if we’d be able to perform any of our planned lake management projects this year. We were extremely concerned about the safety of our contractors, our Greeters, our volunteers, and our Trustees (and our families and friends). Would we lose a large portion of our funding? Even if we had sufficient funding, would we be able to safely perform the tasks needed to implement our lake management programs? 

Our best laid plans at the beginning of the year were upended as we began to hear about grants that we had earned possibly being canceled - and some of them were. Tough decisions were made and we revised our budget to prioritize our programs and projects that would have the most impact for LSC. Thankfully, most of our canceled grant funding was reinstated, and we were able to safely implement the majority of our 2020 plan.

This is certainly not the year we planned for, but we were happy with what we were able to accomplish. 

So, please get comfortable, grab a beverage - and take a few minutes as we take you through the season.

Here is our 2020 Year In Review.

Grants

As we headed into 2020, we were energized by knowing we had earned Lake St. Catherine approximately $65,000 in grants from the State Of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to help fund projects like the Greeter Program, our Milfoil Control Program, and Lake Wise. As mentioned previously, some of these were canceled when COVID-19 hit, but were thankfully reinstated. In April, the LCBP announced an emergency relief funding grant to help organizations like the LSCA deal with current expenses during the pandemic - which were happy to earn. We have already submitted a number of grant proposals for 2021. 

Membership

As anticipated, membership was down this year. We know and understand that many businesses were impacted by the pandemic, and some of you were laid off or lost hours at your job. A sincere THANK YOU to everyone who was able to contribute to the LSCA and become a member this year. 

Many of you renewed your membership or joined as soon as our 2020 Membership Drive kicked off in early February - which was very helpful as pandemic was looming.

We ended the season with 346 members, down slightly from 350 last year. While we came close to matching our 2019 total, we had previously increased our membership numbers, year-over-year the past 3 years.

We hope to break the 350 mark in 2021 as we continue to reach out to LSC property owners, and hope to expand our reach with membership levels for family members of property owners, renters, and those who use the lake for recreation.

We hope to earn your support for our 2021 as we launch our Membership Drive in early February of 2021.

Communicating With The Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) On The Health Of Little Lake

In mid February, we posted a paper on our website addressing a series of statements, postings, newspaper articles, and reports on the situation in Little Lake concerning sediment and milfoil issues (you can read it here). We felt that important information about these issues were not being communicated to the lake community and we made the decision to respond to the statements, postings, and newspaper articles while providing information from a Vermont DEC report, and our own aquatic plant surveys. We also proposed the outline of a 3 year plan to address the milfoil issue and proposed ideas to work on interventions in the watershed to combat problems that are contributing to sediment issues.

The purpose of our paper was to inform the lake community and to present the data and conclusions from the DEC report and our plant surveys, while offering potential solutions. However, the LSCA and the LSCCF have not seen eye-to-eye on lake management in Little Lake for many years, and some interpreted our paper as negative or as an attack. This was certainly not our intent, and it was unfortunate some were upset by it. But, it did get people talking, and it eventually led to a series of meetings between the LSCA and the LSCCF.

In late February, a Little Lake property owner reached out to both groups and graciously hosted a meeting to discuss Little Lake issues. The discussion became contentious at times, but concluded with an agreement to keep talking - and we did. Both groups kept in touch via email and phone conversations. These discussions led to setting up a moderated, joint meeting between the LSCA, LSCCF, the Vermont DEC, and Michigan based limnologist Jennifer Jones which took place online in late August (you can view a recording of that meeting here). A few weeks before this meeting took place, board members from both groups took a boat tour of Little Lake to assess and discuss the current conditions there. 

The joint meeting was productive, and discussions continued, leading to another online meeting in late October. At this meeting, the LSCCF presented a 3 year, 6 point plan which outlines the lake management tools they will be pursuing for the next 3 years in Little Lake. You can view this on their website.

We presented our 3 year plan to help control milfoil in Little Lake, and our ideas to help with sedimentation issues by initiating projects in the watershed. We also briefly discussed our ambitious plan to begin work on a 10 year Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan. A detailed announcement about this new partnership with the LSCCF can be read here.

Finding agreement on both milfoil control and watershed management tools, we’ve agreed to work together on these two initiatives beginning in 2021.

A few weeks ago, board members from each group held an online kickoff meeting to discuss watershed projects and expanding the Lake Wise program to Little Lake. Then, this past weekend, board members held an online kickoff meeting to discuss the plan for milfoil control in Little Lake next season.

This is fantastic news for Little Lake and the whole of Lake St. Catherine.

There are three very important ways you can help to support these plans.

1. Donate to the cause. We haven’t yet finalized how we'll fundraise to help cover the 3 year Little Lake milfoil control plan, but we are going to need your financial support. Soon, we’ll let you know how you can make a contribution to specifically help fund this program over the next 3 years.

2. Get involved. Along with your financial support, there is a lot you can do as an individual to support these programs. To help support watershed programs on the lake, learn about best practices for your lakeshore property to limit the nutrients, sediments and pollution that enter the lake. Sign up to have your property to be assessed for Lake Wise in 2021. The LSCA and the PMNRCD will help you create a beautiful, lake-friendly shoreline. To help support the milfoil control program, learn to identify what milfoil looks like and do what you can to get every piece you can find out of the lake. If you see it growing near your dock or swim area, pull it out by the roots and get it out of the lake. If you see a piece or a patch floating by, scoop it out of the lake. If you see some washed up into your shoreline, clear it out. Place it on land to dry out and dispose of it like you would yard waste. 

3. Become a member. Both the LSCA and the LSCCF rely on membership dues to fund lake management programs each season. As property owners, and as people who love LSC, we need to all contribute to help keep LSC clean and beautiful.

Boat Launch Monitoring - Greeter Program

Our Greeters have been trained to identify invasive species (like spiny waterflea, asian clams, water chestnut, starry stonewort and zebra mussels) to stop them from entering LSC at the boat launch in Wells. They also educate boaters about the importance of looking for these invasives on their boat or trailer so they are not spread to LSC or another lake. Each year, they do a fantastic job checking vessels and educating the lake community on the dangers of invasive species for Lake St. Catherine. They are on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day - working on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They also cover holidays and fishing tournaments. 

Heading into 2020, our plan was to again expand our Greeter Program monitoring hours (over the previous year), and expand the Greeter Program to the Lake St. Catherine State Park using funds earned from grants from the LCBP and the State of Vermont. At one point, 2 of 3 of these grants were canceled. But, we decided we needed to move ahead with our initial plan and launched a scaled back pilot program at the State Park.

We felt it was important to get the Greeter Program started at the State Park as it has been estimated that 1,800 vessels are launched there each season. So, in mid July, our State Park Greeter Program pilot began, even though we had lost the funding earmarked for this expansion. Then, in early August, we received the good news that the Watershed grant was reinstated.

These efforts resulted in a whopping 33% increase in the number of boats inspected in 2020 as compared to 2019!

We hope to again expand Greeter monitoring hours in 2021.

Milfoil Control

On Wednesday, June 24th, three areas on LSC totaling 18.3 acres were treated with ProcellaCOR (highlighted in red in the attached map). This represents a 52% reduction in the amount of acres that were treated in 2019. Two areas were in the northern end of the lake in North Bay and Lily Pond, the other area was in the Channel south of the bridge. These treatments were very successful.

Our diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) team began their work on June 27th. This season, the DASH team worked in 10 areas, totaling 38.7 acres. This represents a 42% reduction in the amount of acres that were DASH'd in 2019. 

In these DASH areas, the milfoil was very sparse. Although they worked approximately the same amount of hours as in 2019, they only harvested 132 buckets (17.5 gallons per bucket) of milfoil. In 2019, 1,293 buckets were harvested. This is excellent news, and an amazing statistic.

You can view our 2020 results and the aquatic plant survey by clicking here.

8th Annual Boat Parade

As with our other lake activities, we were concerned about putting on the Boat Parade this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to continue this yearly tradition, but we wanted to make sure that we could do it safely.

The first change was to not ask our local business to donate prizes this year. Many were - and still are struggling - so we asked the lake community to support those local businesses that donated prizes in 2019. They are: Lake St. Catherine Country Club, Full Belly Deli of Poultney, VT, New England Lakeside Realty Inc., Edwards Market, The Wells Country Store, Otto's Cones Point General Store, The Gold Trout, Pine Grove Diner, The Barn Restaurant & Tavern, The Pawlet Station, Village Yarn Shop, Rebecca J. Thomas, Inc. dba Country Horizon Realty, MacDaddy's Car Hop, Stewart's Shops, Williams Hardware, Wellsmere Farm, CBH Business Services, Everyday Flowers.

Next, we removed the judging stations and instead decided to post an online poll asking the lake community to vote for your favorite boat in each of our 4 categories: Most Original, Most Patriotic, Funniest, Best Overall. Photos were taken of all participants during the parade, and the online poll was posted. 

After the vote was tallied, we had our 4 winners:

Most Patriotic: Boat #8 - The Dunbar Family - "Party Like A Patriot"

Funniest: Boat #9 - The Lutz & Harris Families - "Fowl Play"

Most Original: Boat #14 - The Mroz Family - "Ice Cream Boat"

Best Overall: Boat #1 - The Conine Family - "Ski School"

We hope you enjoyed the parade this year!

Annual Meeting

Each July, we look forward to getting our membership together for our Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club. The LSCA Trustees present reports from their committees, and we get to share an excellent dinner with our lake neighbors. 

It was very disappointing that we were unable to do that this year. 

But, we still had a lot of important information to share with our membership and the lake community, so we held a Virtual Annual Meeting on July 25th. Previous to the meeting, we solicited questions from the membership and the lake community that we could answer during the meeting. 

All of our Trustees joined a Google Meet, and we recorded our presentation and posted the video on our YouTube channel. You can view that recording by clicking here. 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we can have an in-person Annual Meeting & Dinner next summer.

Dockside Chats

One of the grants we earned had an education component which would have resulted in small community meetings around the lake. We had plans to set up small ‘neighborhood’ designations for areas around the lake and have a captain in each area to speak with their neighbors to have discussions about lake issues. The captains would set up small meetings with interested neighbors and a LSCA Trustee would attend to talk about the lake and answer questions.

Obviously, COVID-19 made this project impossible to begin in 2020. But, with this project being canceled and the Annual Meeting going virtual, we wanted to find some way to have safe face-to-face interactions with members. So, we came up with Dockside Chats.

Our idea was to have a LSCA Trustee visit you at your dock via the lake and have a socially distanced chat about the lake. We advertised this on our website and Facebook pages asking interested members to write into our email address (info@lakestcatherine.org) to schedule a chat.

We are glad to say this was a popular program with about 15 Dockside Chats scheduled. We hope to do it again next year - along with our neighborhood program.

Lake Wise

WOW - what a year for Lake Wise! Eleven properties on Lake St. Catherine earned the Lake Wise Award in 2020.

2020 Lake Wise Award winners, The O'Connells - West Lake Road

Lake Wise is a program developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake. Four categories are assessed: The driveway and parking area, the structure (which includes roof, drainage, and septic), the recreation area (the lawn/footprint of non-natural, high-use yard areas), and the shoreline buffer area.

The goal of the Lake Wise program, from the Lake Wise website:

"The goal of Lake Wise is to establish a new normal, a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that is proven to help protect the lake. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award will represent a 'model' shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake."

In partnership with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) and property owners around the lake, the Lake Wise program was a huge success in 2020. 

A LCBP grant helped to fund both property assessments, native plantings, and stormwater runoff projects on individual property owner’s shorelines.

Building on the work in 2018 and 2019 led to the success of the program in 2020 - and this brings the total Lake Wise properties on LSC to 12.

Our goal is to earn another 10 awards in 2021, and get our first for a Little Lake property owner. 

As we were preparing this report, we received word that a LCBP grant we applied for to expand the Lake Wise program into Little Lake in 2021 was awarded! We are excited to expand this program into Little Lake and work with the LSCCF on implementing it. 

You can read more about Lake Wise and why it is so important for LSC on our website by clicking here.

Newsletters

Our traditional Spring and Fall newsletters were posted digitally on our website, and printed copies were made available at Otto’s.

Spring Newsletter
Fall Newsletter

New Website

In early December, we launched our new website at lakestcatherine.org. Our previous website served us well for 4 years, but it was time for a refresh.

We still have some work to do, but you'll immediately notice a new design, updated pages, new pages, and lots of new photos and content.

Along with the new look, and all the new LSC related information we've added, there are a bunch of new features we'll be able to offer members and visitors. We'll continue to update the site over the winter, and we'll let you know as we roll out these new website features.

Please check it out and let us know what you think.

As always, our Blog and Facebook pages will be constantly updated with the latest LSC information and news - so please check those often.

Looking Ahead To 2021

We’ve touched upon a few of these above, but we’d like to briefly summarize our ambitious plans for 2021.

1. 2021 Membership Drive: We’ll be working hard to get back on track with our membership by increasing the total number of members, and the dollars raised over our recent previous highs in 2019. We’ve made it even easier to renew or become a member on our new website. We’ve simplified membership levels and added the ability for members to include an additional contribution in the amount of their choosing during the process which we hope the lake community will take advantage of. We will also reach out to seasonal renters, family members of property owners, and recreational users of the lake with our new ‘Supporter of LSC’ level of membership. We’ll kick off the 2021 Membership Drive in early February.

2. Lake-Wide Milfoil Control Efforts: Planning and meetings are already taking place to prepare for our milfoil control efforts in Lake St. Catherine in 2021. Along with planning to continue our yearly DASH and ProcellaCOR milfoil control program, members of the LSCA and the LSCCF have been discussing expanding the program to include a ProcellaCOR treatment in Little Lake next year as part of a 3 year plan. This is excellent news for the Little Lake and the whole of Lake St. Catherine. Members from both boards will be meeting soon to discuss our joint fundraising efforts. We’ll let you know about the treatment and how you can contribute to its success when those plans are finalized. We’ll be soliciting donations from the lake community and educating you on what you can do in the lake and on your shorelines to make this 3 year plan a success. We hope you’ll be able to contribute to this plan to help Little Lake.

3. Lake Wise: We are very excited to have earned another LCBP grant to fund our Lake Wise Program in 2021. This year, we’ll again partner with the PMNRCD and are happy to be working together with the LSCCF to expand the program into Little Lake. Lake Wise is such an important program for Lake St. Catherine. As a property owner on the lake, our collective efforts to make our shorelines lake friendly will have a huge impact on water quality. Our properties are the last line of defense to keep stormwater runoff from depositing sediments, pollution, and weed growing nutrients into the lake. If you’d like to be part of the Lake Wise Program in 2021, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

4. Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan: This fall, the LSCA, with the support of the PMNRD and the Vermont DEC, applied for a LCBP grant to help fund the research and the development of a Watershed Action Plan for LSC. From the EPA, a Watershed Action Plan is described as, “Watershed planning helps address water quality problems in a holistic manner by fully assessing the potential contributing causes and sources of pollution, then prioritizing restoration and protection strategies to address these problems.” We hope to begin the multi-year process of creating the LSC Watershed Action Plan in 2021 which we anticipate will lead to a 10 year plan.

5. Greeter Program: We continue to hear reports of aquatic invasive species (AIS) establishing themselves in lakes that are in the vicinity of Lake St. Catherine - this is why the Greeter Program is so important. Our plan in 2021 will be to again (for the 3rd year in a row) expand the hours worked by our Greeters, along with a full season of checking vessels at the LSC State Park.

Thank You For Your Support

We hope you find that our efforts in 2020 for Lake St. Catherine have been worthy. It’s been a difficult year, but we are proud of what we were able to accomplish under the circumstances. As we look forward to 2021 - with new projects, and new partnerships - we promise to continue our work for the betterment of Lake St. Catherine.

Thank you to everyone who supported us this year. We hope to earn your support again in 2021.

Please keep yourself healthy and be well. We hope to see you at the lake soon.

Happy Holidays,

- The Trustees of The Lake St. Catherine Association

Hello LSC.

This morning, we'd like to let you know about a feature of our new website - a Membership Directory and an app for your phone or tablet.

Membership Directory

After you have set up your account on the new website (you can start that process by clicking here), you can update your profile for the Membership Directory.

First, log into the site and select 'Membership Profile' from the 'Membership' menu. You will see a page that has this information:

Click on the grey 'Edit profile' button and you can add information to your profile like a Bio, the name of your cottage, and a photo. Make sure you hit the 'Save' button after you make any changes.

Next, you can decide what information you'd like listed about yourself in your entry for the Membership Directory. To do that, click on the 'Privacy' link. You will then see a list of 'Details to show'. Click on the grey 'Edit profile' button on this page and you will see this:

You have full control over what information is displayed in your profile listing in the Membership Directory. If you want to show a line of information, select 'Anybody' or 'Members'. If you would prefer to not show a line of information, click the 'No access' button. Be sure to again click the grey 'Save' button to save your changes.

After making and saving edits, you can view what will be shown on your profile listing in the Membership Directory by clicking on the 'My directory profile' link. 

The default settings for your entry will only show your name - you will need to add information to your profile, and then decide what you'd like to share.

For example, I have added a photo, a Bio, my email address, and our camp name & address - and then I made those viewable in the directory. You can see what a profile looks like by clicking the link on my name under the title of this blog post. 

You can view or search the directory by clicking on Membership Directory under the Membership menu. You must be a member and logged into the site to view this page.

Other features available here include an area where you can create a photo album, see tickets for events you have registered for (hopefully we'll be able to use that feature in 2021!), and listings of your transactions on the new site like membership payments and donations.

Website Companion App For Your Phone Or Tablet

Our new site has a companion app that you can download for your iOS or Android based phone or tablet.

The app is named for the company that hosts our new website, Wild Apricot - the app is called 'Wild Apricot For Members'. You can install it by using the links below:

Apple App Store - Wild Apricot For Members
Android Google Play Store - Wild Apricot For Members

After installing on your device, you can log in with the username and password you use for the new website. 

In the app, you'll be able to search the Membership Directory, make edits to your member profile, view upcoming events, and renew your membership.

We hope you'll enjoying using these new features - and that you'll have some fun setting up your membership profile!

If you have any questions or issues, please send us an email at info@lakestcatherine.org so we can help you out.

We hope you are enjoying the new site!

Each season, the LSCA implements a milfoil control program to keep milfoil in check using a combination of spot herbicide treatments and DASH (Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting).

In late September, our contractor SOLitude Lake Management performed a comprehensive lake-wide aquatic vegetation survey to both evaluate the performance of our milfoil control efforts, and to assess the overall state of aquatic plants in Lake St. Catherine.

This is the 17th consecutive year a plant survey has been performed on Lake St. Catherine. You can see all the previous reports, dating back to 2004 in our Links & Downloads section.

The report can be read directly here: 2020 - Aquatic Vegetation Management Report.

From the report:

"Controlling areas of dense EWM growth and maintaining it at non-nuisance levels has been the focus of recent EWM management efforts at Lake St. Catherine. The ProcellaCOR herbicide treatment this year effectively and selectively controlled EWM where used... This strategy coupled with focused DASH efforts proved to be successful in maintaining control of EWM frequency of occurrence and percent cover in both the Main Basin and Lily Pond."

Please take a look.

If you have any questions, please get in touch at info@lakestcatherine.org.

We are excited to report that the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) has awarded the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) a grant in the amount of $19,920 for the expansion of our Lake Wise Program into Little Lake!

The project is entitled: “Lake Wise Project Implementation on Little Lake in the Lake St. Catherine Watershed”, and will be implemented in partnership with the LSCA, the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) and the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD).

Lake Wise is a program developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake. Four categories are assessed: The driveway and parking area, the structure (which includes roof, drainage, and septic), the recreation area (the lawn/footprint of non-natural, high-use yard areas), and the shoreline buffer area.

The goal of the Lake Wise program, from the Lake Wise website:

"The goal of Lake Wise is to establish a new normal, a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that is proven to help protect the lake. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award will represent a 'model' shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake."

In 2020, the LSCA earned the same grant from LCBP to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. Then, the LSCA partnered with PMNRCD on this project and began the outreach to the lake community. This effort, combined with the efforts in 2018 and 2019 resulted in 11 lake properties winning the Lake Wise Award in 2020.

The Liberatores, Oxbow Bay: One of 11 properties to earn a Lake Wise Award in 2020 on LSC

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

As a shoreline property owner, you have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the water's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

Actions now will promote a healthy lake environment that will continue to support swimming, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing in the future.

This is such an important program for long term health of Lake St. Catherine, and we can all pitch in to make a difference.

If you are a Little Lake property owner who would like to be part of this program, please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org so we can add you to our 2021 list. We’ll contact you in the spring to set up an appointment. We are also accepting requests for ANY property owners on LSC. If you’d like to be part of the Lake Wise program, we want to hear from you.

Next year, our overall goal is to earn 10 Lake Wise Awards for property owners, with at least one of those being the first for Little Lake.

- You can read more about the Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine by clicking here.
- You can read about the 11 properties that earned the Lake Wise Award in 2020 by clicking here.

The LSCA is very happy to be working together with the LSCCF on this important project for Little Lake in 2021. This project represents just one of the two initiatives that the LSCA and the LSCCF will be working together on in 2021. Soon, we’ll have additional information to share on the second joint project, milfoil control in Little Lake.

So, send us an email at info@lakestcatherine.org and we’ll get you signed up for 2021. Thank you!

Hello LSC.

We are excited to announce that we have launched a newly designed and updated website at www.lakestcatherine.org. 

We still have some work to do, but you'll immediately notice a new design, updated pages, new pages, and lots of new photos. Thank you to everyone who had contributed photos for the new site! We did our best to incorporate as many as we could.

Along with the new look and all the new LSC related information we've added, there are a bunch of new features we'll be able to offer members and visitors. We'll continue to update the site over the winter, and we'll let you know as we roll out these new website features.

For example:

Soon, current members will receive an email from the new site with instructions on how to set up your account. Your membership record from the old site was imported into the new one, you'll just need to set a password. Keep an eye out for that later today. If you'd like to become a new member, please wait a few days as our payment processing will be added early this week.

As always, our Blog and Facebook pages will be constantly updated with the latest LSC information and news - so please check those often.

While we've done our best to test drive the new site looking for issues or typos, we may have missed some. If you come across anything that is not working properly, or if you see a typo, or if you have any issues setting up your new site account, please let us know. 

We'd also like to know what you think of the new site! Let us know here: info@lakestcatherine.org. We hope you enjoy the new site.

Thanks for your support of the LSCA!

Hello to everyone in the Lake St. Catherine community. We have some exciting news to share with you today.

Over the past year, the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) and the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) have been communicating and meeting to discuss the health of Little Lake.

As you may have seen, back on August 25th, we held a joint meeting to discuss potential interventions for Little Lake. You can view a recording of that meeting here. We are happy to report that productive discussions between our two groups continued after this meeting. This culminated in an agreement to work together on projects to help address milfoil and sediment issues in Little Lake.

We’d like to tell you about them, and also let you know how you can help - because we will need your support to make them happen.

During a joint meeting held on October 21st, the LSCCF presented a 3 year, 6 point plan which outlines the tools they will be pursuing for the next 3 years in Little Lake. You can view this on their website.

We presented our 3 year plan to help control milfoil in Little Lake, and our ideas to help with sedimentation issues by initiating projects in the watershed. We also briefly discussed our ambitious plan to begin work on a 10 year Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan (more on this soon).

Finding agreement on both milfoil control and watershed management tools, we’ve agreed to work together on these initiatives beginning in 2021.

Watershed Management

As the lakeshore around Little Lake has been developed over the past 50 years, it has suffered from cultural eutrophication (excess nutrients and sediments from human activity entering the lake). Watershed projects will help mitigate inflows of nutrients (phosphorus), sediments and pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Reducing phosphorus and sediments will limit the amount of nutrients available for weeds to grow, and the amount of muck that settles on the bottom. These watershed projects are designed to keep new nutrients and sediments from entering Little Lake and adding to the existing sediment levels.

In 2021, the LSCA will again be applying for the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s Pollution Prevention grant. We earned this grant last year and used it to promote the Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine.

Lake Wise is a program developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake. Four categories are assessed: The driveway and parking area, the structure (which includes roof, drainage, and septic), the recreation area (the lawn/footprint of non-natural, high-use yard areas), and the shoreline buffer area.

The goal of the Lake Wise program, from the Lake Wise website:

"The goal of Lake Wise is to establish a new normal, a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that is proven to help protect the lake. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award will represent a 'model' shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake."

In 2020, this program resulted in 9 property owners winning 11 Lake Wise Awards for their properties on Lake St. Catherine. This is an outstanding achievement. These properties are models for all of us to follow as we work on making our individual properties lake friendly.

The LSCA worked closely with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) performing property assessments and working with the owners to implement stormwater mitigation measures on their lakeshore. Some of these measures included rain gardens, shoreline buffer plantings, infiltration steps and other water diversion and infiltration techniques.

This year, we’d like to expand the Lake Wise Program into Little Lake. In the grant application we will submit next week, we are happy to be partnering with the LSCCF to help make this program a success in Little Lake. We’ll work together on outreach to Little Lake residents, and the PMNRCD will again perform assessments and work with Little Lake property owners to help them make their property Lake Wise.

While our focus in 2021 will be on Little Lake, we will continue this program lake-wide to help property owners all around Lake St. Catherine to earn this award. It may take a few years to earn this award after your initial assessment as you and the PMNRCD put in the work on your property. This year, we found that properties that were initially assessed in 2018 or 2019 were able to earn the award in 2020 as they and the PMNRCD implemented Lake Wise techniques. So, year-over-year follow up is a key component of this program.

With this in mind, our goal with the Lake Wise program in 2021 is a successful launch in Little Lake, winning at least 10 Lake Wise awards for Lake St. Catherine as a whole and at least our first on Little Lake.

If you would like to work to make your property Lake Wise, please contact us so we can add you to our list for a visit in 2021. We hope to hear from folks all around LSC, but especially on Little Lake! You can email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to get on the list for 2021.

Another important watershed project is underway on Lake St. Catherine. In late 2019, the PMNRCD completed a stormwater master plan for the lake. This study inventoried 50 locations around the lake that were determined to be nutrient and sediment inputs from stormwater runoff. Six of these projects were selected to kick off the program in 2020, and plans were engineered to fix them. Four of the six initial projects are located around Little Lake, and two of these projects will be breaking ground soon. You can read the Stormwater Master Plan here.

Please check out this interactive map of Lake St. Catherine that has both the Stormwater Master Plan locations and the Lake Wise award winners plotted.

Milfoil Control

For the past two years, we’ve been using a new, highly targeted herbicide called ProcellaCOR. It has been highly effective in controlling the milfoil levels in our treatment areas (Big Lake, Lily Pond). It has been so successful that based on preliminary results of our fall survey, next year, we are projecting to not use herbicides in the Big Lake for the first time since 2006. This is an incredible result.

After reviewing the results of the first ProcellaCOR treatment in 2019, we saw a real opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of milfoil in LSC. At that time, we decided to set a goal to get the milfoil level down to a point that our primary control method would be our diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) team. Learn more about our DASH team by clicking here. Achieving this goal would allow us to redirect funds to other important lake programs like improving water quality, watershed management and invasive species prevention. However, to achieve this goal, we’d need to address the largest source of milfoil in LSC, Little Lake.

Beginning next season, we’ll initiate a 3 year plan using ProcellaCOR to gain control of milfoil in Little Lake. In year one, we’ll treat up to 40% of the milfoil which is approximately 71 acres. The year one treatment has been estimated to cost more than $30,000. If we project out the cost over the 3 year plan, the total cost could be approximately $80,000. However, that is subject to change. After year one, we’ll evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment, and make a plan for year two based on those results. It is possible that we won’t need to treat as large an area in year two or three which would decrease the total cost over the 3 year plan.

While this plan is targeted to help improve the milfoil conditions in Little Lake, it is a benefit to the whole of Lake St. Catherine. Milfoil fragments make their way from Little Lake, through the Channel via wind and boat traffic. We’ve found that this milfoil ends up seeding new milfoil growth in the Channel, near the Sunken Island, Forest House Bay and Halls Bay. Successful treatments in Little Lake would result in the lowest overall milfoil levels in Lake St. Catherine since 2006.

We are happy to have the backing and financial support from the LSCCF for this plan to begin in 2021.

How You Can Help

There are three very important ways you can help to support these plans.

1. Donate to the cause. We haven’t yet finalized how we’ll fundraise to help cover the 3 year Little Lake milfoil control plan, but we are going to need your financial support. Soon, we’ll let you know how you can make a contribution to specifically help fund this program over the next 3 years.
2. Get involved. Along with your financial support, there is a lot you can do as an individual to support these programs. To help support watershed programs on the lake, learn about best practices for your lakeshore property to limit the nutrients, sediments and pollution that enter the lake. Sign up to have your property to be assessed for Lake Wise in 2021. The LSCA and the PMNRCD will help you create a beautiful, lake-friendly shoreline. To help support the milfoil control program, learn to identify what milfoil looks like and do what you can to get every piece you can find out of the lake. If you see it growing near your dock or swim area, pull it out by the roots and get it out of the lake. If you see a piece or a patch floating by, scoop it out of the lake. If you see some washed up into your shoreline, clear it out. Place it on land to dry out and dispose of it like you would yard waste.
3. Become a member. Both the LSCA and the LSCCF rely on membership dues to fund lake management programs each season. As property owners, and as people who love LSC, we need to all contribute to help keep LSC clean and beautiful.

Summary

The LSCA and the LSCCF have agreed to work together on milfoil control and watershed management programs in Little Lake in 2021 and beyond. We’ll be looking to the lake community for your involvement and financial support to make these programs a success.

Lake St. Catherine is one body of water, from Lily Pond to Lake’s End. A healthy Little Lake is a benefit to all LSC property owners, regardless of where your property is. Let’s all work together in support of Little Lake, and in turn, all of Lake St. Catherine.

We’ll have information on our joint fundraising effort soon. We hope you will support these efforts.

Thanks for reading LSC.

We hope you agree that these are significant steps forward for Little Lake.

We welcome your comments. Contact us any time at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Thank you.

Good afternoon LSC.

We’d like to let you know that we have a new Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Game Warden that will be patrolling Lake St. Catherine.

For the past few years, our Warden was Dustin Circe. He has transferred to cover an area north of Montpelier. We thank him for his years of service to our area and LSC.

Our new Warden is Justin Turner who resides in Arlington. His coverage area includes 9 towns: Arlington, Sunderland, Sandgate, Manchester, Rupert, Dorset, Pawlet, Danby and Wells. Although his area does not include Poultney, he is responsible for all of Lake St. Catherine.

Justin cannot be on the lake every day, but we can all be his eyes and ears working to keep LSC safe.

If you witness an unsafe boating incident or a violation, you can:

• Take a video
• Take photos
• Take note of their registration number
• Take note of a description of the vessel and the individual
• Take note of the camp they return to
• Take note of the date & time and location

Then, call Justin to report it so he can investigate - he can be reached on his cell at: 802-595-8754.

Justin, welcome to Lake St. Catherine. We look forward to seeing you on the lake!

As a reminder, here are the Vermont rules for unlawful operation of a vessel.

Vermont law states that these dangerous operating practices are illegal:

Careless and Reckless Operation of a vessel or the reckless manipulation of water skis, a surfboard, or a similar device is operating in a manner that causes danger to the life, limb, or property of any person. Examples of illegal, reckless operation are:

• Boating in restricted areas without regard for other boaters or persons, posted speeds and wake restrictions, diver-down flags, etc.
• Boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Failing to follow the navigation rules
• Weaving through congested waterway traffic
• Swerving at the last possible moment in order to avoid collision
• Causing danger or damage from the wake of your vessel
• Chasing, harassing, or disturbing wildlife with your vessel

Overloading is loading the vessel beyond a safe carrying capacity, taking into consideration the weather and other operating conditions.

Improper Speed or Distance is not maintaining a proper speed or distance while operating a vessel or while towing a person on water skis or any similar device. Specifically, the following actions are illegal:

• Operating a vessel (except sailboards) at greater than “no wake speed” within 200 feet of:

- The shoreline
- A person in the water
- A canoe, rowboat, or other vessel
- An anchored or moored vessel with a person on board
- An anchorage or dock

• Operating a vessel at speeds of five miles per hour or greater within 200 feet of a marked swimming area
• Operating a vessel at speeds that may cause danger, injury, or damage. Be aware of and obey all regulatory markers, including areas marked as “no wake”

Note: “No Wake Speed” means operating your vessel at a speed at which the vessel does not produce a wake, not to exceed five miles per hour.

Many more rules and regulations for boating in Vermont can be found here, in the Vermont Boating Laws And Responsibilities Handbook.

Next, let's review the Lake St. Catherine specific boating rules that are in place, under Vermont Statute 10 V.S.A. § 1424, (effective November 17, 1980, amended January 1, 1995):

Water-skiing is prohibited in the following waters:

• All portions of Lily Pond and the channel connecting Lily Pond and Lake St. Catherine
• All portions of the channel connecting Little Lake and Lake St. Catherine

The operation of vessels powered by motor at speeds exceeding five miles per hour or in such a manner as to cause a disturbing wake is prohibited in the following waters:

• All portions of Lily Pond and the channel connecting Lily Pond and Lake St. Catherine
• All portions of the channel connecting Little Lake and Lake St. Catherine
• Forest House Bay - defined for purposes of this rule as those waters south and southwest of a straight line between the southerly corner of Camp 102 and the northeasterly corner of Camp 110A
• Hall’s Bay - defined for purposes of this rule as those waters north and northeast of a straight line between the southerly corner of Camp 224 and the northerly corner of Camp 207
• Horseshoe Bay - defined for purposes of this rule as those waters west of a straight line between the easterly corner of Camp 38 and northerly corner of Camp 46A
• Oxbow Bay - defined for purposes of this rule as those waters west of a straight line between the northerly corner of Camp 21 and the northerly corner of Camp 36

With regard to Forest House Bay, Hall’s Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Oxbow Bay:

• It is permissible for a boat to start and return to its own dock at speeds in excess of five miles per hour for purposes of water-skiing. In starting, the boat must head directly out of the safety zone. In returning, the boat must go directly to its dock at the lowest speed necessary to sustain the skier

For purposes of this regulation only:

• The term “channel” as used in the rules above shall mean those waters within and contiguous to Lake St. Catherine which are less than 400 feet in width and which serve to connect that lake with Lily Pond or Little Lake.
• The use of personal watercraft at speeds not exceeding five miles per hour is allowed on Little Lake and Lily Pond for purposes of obtaining access to, and returning from, Lake St. Catherine.

On Saturday, August 29th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their fourth and final meeting of the 2020 season.

The Trustees gave their reports on many topics - Click here to see the full meeting agenda. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane Bostock.

August 29th 2020 Meeting of the Lake St. Catherine Board of Trustees

Google Meet - Online Meeting, 8:30 AM

Meeting Called to Order by President, Jim Canders at 8:35 AM.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Jeff Crandall, Elaine Bagley, Ken Abt, John Belnavis, Martha Pofit, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams, Kemi McShane, Ed Laird, Nancy Liberatore, Jerremy Jones, Mary Jo Teetor

Absent: Rob Nesbit

Meeting Called to Order at 8:35 AM

Opening statement by President, Jim Canders. President Canders thanks Owen and Beck for the DASH work for this season, and the Greeters from the Boat Launch and State Park Greeter Program.

Beck Sinclair reports on the 2020 season for the DASH season at LSC. He stated that he emailed a map of the final treatment to the trustees. He provided a financial invoice and stated not completed all the work in Halls Bay and thanked the Board for the 7-day extension to complete the work in Bay. Beck and Owen have worked the DASH program for the past 7 years and he believes the lake is in the best shape that he has seen it. He is seeing little milfoil and believes this is from the balanced approach of DASH, herbicide and due diligence from the lake residents. The collection of milfoil buckets is down 90% - they collected 132 buckets in total.

Jeff Crandall stated the future treatment map may contain Halls Bay, along Route 30, the Sunken Island and the Channel as milfoil is coming from LL into those areas.

Beck: not seeing any growth in Atwater Bay, Oxbow Bay and Horseshoe Bay.

Jeff: last year floating milfoil fragments saw a lot of them and not seeing any this season.

Beck: North Bay is mostly seeing native plants

Martha: thanked the DASH team for all their hard work, important message to address the Channel, and remind the LL that all the hard work and strides in the Big Lake can be compromised because milfoil is traveling up the Channel and into the Big Lake. It is a cause and effect situation and compromises our success and has a direct impact on the work already done.

Beck: he can provide pictures and videos of the diving work to show milfoil collected around a raft in the Channel and how the DASH team saw lots of floating milfoil there. The wind, boats, and water currents bring large mats of floating milfoil up into the Channel and then it flows into the Big Lake.

Martha needs this information to show evidence to support the grant writing that she is involved in.

Jeff: wants all this information included in final report to document the progress for the 2020 season.

Beck: can provide maps and pictures

Martha: for grant writing purposes need entire buckets collected, time spent, and square footage and density of time spent working the lake. This contribution is valuable to support the grant.

Beck: the final report is 132 buckets in 2020. Will calculate the square footage as the hose line extension and covering the area DASHed.

Beck explained how the DASH team did hand picking in the low dispersed areas. It allowed them to move quickly as opposed to dragging the hose and moving the boat within a 50-foot radius. Would hand pull and place into a bag and bring to boat. Helpful in Channel and allowed them to cover more area.

Martha: The Greeters program shows data that more milfoil is leaving LSC than is entering the lake. Not a good position to be in.

Beck: Recommends signage and awareness pamphlets to distribute to educate people. Overall, the DASH team is well received and residents like the work that is being done by the DASH team.

Martha: Any sighting of Zebra Mussels? (Beck: no) Lake Dunmore has them at the boat launch and LSC needs to be in the prevention mode. Working on a grant and need a baseline established. Due to COVID, state did not allow informational pamphlets to be distributed, but have them ready for nest year.

Beck: Owen and Beck available to remove the buoys as made a GPS map for finding the markers and anchors.

Frank- appreciates the extra help in this Fall. The buoys are kept at people’s property for easy removal and installation. Some are stored at Frank’s.

Beck- will collect and store where wanted.

Jim: Harry and Sylvia Bingham initiated the buoy program. Jim thanked Beck for the in-depth report and excellent work on the Lake this 2020 season.

Beck: asked about the contract for the next 2021 season?

Jeff: need to have the Fall survey to determine the sights to be treated. And based on this year’s final report.

Discussion took place regarding the joint meeting between the LSCA and the LSCCF on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. Present at this virtual / recorded meeting were: 5 LSCA trustees, 6 board members of the LSCCF, 4 VT DEC members, Dr. Jennifer Jones and moderator, Gary Kupferer. Jerremy outlined the follow up plan from this meeting. The DEC will meet with the LSCCF in the next few weeks to discuss the permits that the LL wants to put in place. Jerremy discussed with Rick on a plan to get back in touch with the LSCCF to help the LL next year. It will be necessary for the LSCA to have financial support from the LSCCF to treat the LL with ProcellaCOR. Jerremy believes this was a positive meeting, moving forward to collaborate with the LSCCF. The LSCA will write a grant to help LL and also use the tools the LSCA already has in place for assistance: such as The Lake Champlain Basin watershed funding, The Lake Wise project, as they can focus on the LL. This program help educate LL residents (and all LSC residents) to see how shoreline and property management contributes to storm water run-off that contributes to sedimentation. Concern was voiced about the sedimentation issue in the LL. THE LSCCF was promoting the scientist, Jennifer Jones for the aeration project.

Discussed ongoing concerns over the use of harvesting and the efficacy and safety of aeration.

Jerremy discussed a future meeting with the LSCCF after they meet with the DEC in early September.

Business meeting began at 9:42

1. Recording secretary’s Report: correction of trustees in attendance for the July 25, 2020 virtual meeting. Motion made to accept the report as presented, seconded and so moved.
2. Treasurer’s Report: Report posted; Elaine Bagley stated that the insurance was paid for the year. Pay checks are in good order. Has sent multiple reminders to outstanding members, with no response. 34 non-paying members from last year. John requested that the Greeter’s program manager, Marsha Baker McNally be reimbursed for the purchases totaling $300.00 for supplies for the Greeters. Jim asked for a motion to reimburse Marsha, Elaine made a motion to allocate the money and Martha seconded it. Motion carried to pay Marsha. Jerremy outlined projected income and expenses. Jerremy asked if it was appropriate to purchase a gift in recognition of the joint meeting moderator, Gary Kupferer. There were 4 meetings prior to the Tuesday night joint meeting. It was discussed that it would not be appropriate to give him a gift card without the LSCCF involved in it as well. Jerremy will contact Rick from the LSCCF and see if they too would like to contribute and thank Gary for his time. Motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s report, approved.
3. Milfoil Control: Jeff Crandall reported the 3 sites were treated with ProcellaCOR, Lily Pond, North Bay and South of the bridge in the Channel. DASH program addressed all sites. The team requested an extension to complete the work in Halls Bay. Referred to the map, main presence is in Halls Bay, Forest House Bay and up from the Channel to the Sunken Island. Milfoil fragments are floating up from the LL and rerooting/regrowth. Next year 2021 SOLitude survey may not need to treat in the Big Lake and the focus can be the LL. Next year 2021, LSCA can keep the DASH program busy in the main lake. DASH can not work in the LL as it is difficult to see what the team is doing. Discussion about how well ProcellaCOR has worked in combination with DASH over the past 2 seasons.
4. Greeter Program: John Belnavis reported that at the State boat launch there is a bulletin board for signage and information to be distributed to the public. It needs to be updated. The State Park opened late this season and at that time the LSCA did not have the funds to support the second Greeter site there. Money was allocated and we did in fact establish the Greeter Program at the State Park. August 14, the grant for funding the Greeter’s was received and the Greeter’s work hours and increased days of the week was increased. The State Park closes on Labor Day. John will breakdown the hours worked at each location and the staff will be returning next year. The State Park staff reported the numbers are down at the State Park this year. Discussed any evidence of the freshwater jellyfish in LSC as has been seen in Lake Bomoseen. John reported that last 2 years, average of 150 boats leaving LSC with milfoil, most likely because of location of boat launch to LL. Need to get these numbers down.
5. Publicity: Jerremy Jones reports that the Fall Newsletter will be completed and distributed for the Labor Day weekend. To date the LSCA has 343 paid members. Discussion about creating a calendar for next year to sell to generate monies for the LSCA. A local photographer has offered to supply the photos and the LSCA would produce the calendars. They could be purchased from the website, from local stores. We would include the business sponsor on the calendar. Another idea was to make postcards from the photos to sell. It was the general consensus that these would sell and benefit the Association.
6. Lake Safety- Frank Callahan: He thanked everyone for all the help this 2020 season. He was disappointed that he was not able to hold the classes for the boating safety. He was restricted to class size due to the COVID virus.
7. Nominating Committee- Bob Williams: LSCA has 14 trustees. It is a strong hard-working group. One position is open and actively looking for someone to join the Board. Discuss inviting folks to sit in on a meeting so can get a sense of the dynamics of the LSCA work.
8. Boat Parade- Kemi McShane : looking forward to next year’s parade. Ideas to consider: Parade leader to lead procession around lake. Keep voting on-line for a community vote. Poll regarding soliciting prizes, enter a boat in the Poultney 4th of July Parade. Ask the local photographers to take pictures to post. Music onboard the lead boat to announce the parade. Request Stewart’s ice cream cards for children. If do have sponsors for parade, will Nancy elicit these from our local sponsors? Open to ideas and suggestions regarding the boat parade.
9. Annual Membership Meeting- July 25,2020 Our first virtual meeting. Takes advanced planning and hoping can meet in person next year 2021. 200 people watched on YouTube and 150 people watched on Facebook. Will record the meeting regardless as it was well received.
10. Grants- Martha Hicks Pofit: Lake Champlain Basin Program will host a workshop in September. Lake Wise- 32 people contacted us for assessment, 23 assessments done on properties, 11 properties received the Lake Wise award. The grant for 2021 will be focused on property with a wide-open lawn- will be a big outreach program. VT DEC LSCA overall watershed improvement plan to take advantage, involved parties will be the Highway department, DASH, Lake Wise, and the Stormwater Master Plan.
11. Old Business: 1. FOVLAP- benefit of working with them supported by the State water quality. Conflict of interest policy- Ed Laird with current trustees to review and sign, 501C3 organization language from the IRS, LSCA has to follow. MJ questioned if we need to sign in May? Ed- stated the minutes to reflect a review of the funding sources / the grant sources. The board satisfied with the Conflict of Interest Policy. Great visibility with the State, LSCA seen as stewards of the lake.
12. New Business: Elaine requested a vote to purchase can koozies to be the gift for membership next year. Frank made motion was made to purchase the can koozies, Ed seconded the motion, all in favor- the motion was passed. A comment was made on a sewer issue on the Lake and the Public Health Officer will be reviewing the situation. The election of officers was presented and a motion was made to elect the following officers: Recording Secretary- Kemi McShane, Treasurer- Elaine Bagley, Vice President- Martha Hicks Pofit, President- Jim Canders. A motion was made and seconded to accept the slate of officers. President Jim Canders thanked everyone for the hard work that was done this 2020 season. He called for the Adjournment of the meeting, a motion was made and seconded. All in favor to adjourn the meeting at 11:03 AM

Respectfully submitted, Kemi McShane Bostock, Recording Secretary

WOW - what a day on the Lake!

This morning, members of the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) and the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) visited all the 2020 Lake Wise Award winners to recognize this outstanding achievement for their lakeshore properties.

Lake Wise is a program developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake. Four categories are assessed: The driveway and parking area, the structure (which includes roof, drainage, and septic), the recreation area (the lawn/footprint of non-natural, high-use yard areas), and the shoreline buffer area.

The goal of the Lake Wise program, from the Lake Wise website:

"The goal of Lake Wise is to establish a new normal, a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that is proven to help protect the lake. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award will represent a 'model' shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake."

This season, the LSCA earned a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. Then, the LSCA partnered with the PMNRCD on this project and began the outreach to the lake community.

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

As a shoreline property owner, you have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the water's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

Actions now will promote a healthy lake environment that will continue to support swimming, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing in the future.

This is such an important program for long term health of Lake St. Catherine, and we can all pitch in to make a difference.

So, without further ado, our 2020 Lake Wise Award winners are:

The Herricks - Cones Point

The Conines - Cones Point

The O'Connells - West Lake Road (south)

The Pofits - West Lake Road (south)

The Liberatores - Oxbow Bay

The Crandalls - West Lake Road (west) + 2 other properties

The Michels - Ferncliff Road, North Bay

The Dankowskis - Ferncliff Road, North Bay

The Smith-Pliners - Parks Drive, lower Channel

Thank you to all the winners for the work they have put into their property to become Lake Wise. Their properties represent a model of what all LSC lakeshore owners should strive for, as they are both beautiful and lake friendly.

All winners will be receiving the Lake Wise Award plaque that they can proudly display on their shoreline. Keep an eye out for them as you cruise around the lake.

This brings the total Lake Wise properties on LSC up to 12 (the Binghams were awarded it last year).

The LSCA and the PMNRCD would like to help other Lake St. Catherine property owners earn the Lake Wise award. If you would like to have your property assessed, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Make a positive impact on the lake and be Lake Wise!

Hello good folks of the Lake St. Catherine community.

We'd like to let you know that the LSCA Fall 2020 newsletter is now available.

In an effort to save on printing and mailing costs, we've decided to only print a short run of copies and distribute them to Otto's Cones Point General Store. If you'd like a printed copy, please feel free to pick one up when you are out and about (available now). Thank you to Otto's!

Also, keep an eye out for our Boat Launch Greeters on Saturday... They will be walking around the lake handing out printed copies of the newsletters.

The digital version is now available online via our website through this link: Click here to view the Fall 2020 Newsletter, or click on the image below. When you click on the link for the newsletter, you will be able to view it on screen - and be able to zoom in or out using the controls on the bottom of the screen. Or, you can click the download button in the top right corner to save a copy to your computer to view with a PDF reader or print a copy.

We hope you'll enjoy this edition of the LSCA newsletter.

We welcome your comments: info@lakestcatherine.org.

Thank you for your support!

Are you a member yet? Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. Grants, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding. If you'd like to help, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make is tax deductible.

In other news...

- On Tuesday, August 25th, the LSCA, the LSCCF, Dr. Jennifer Jones of Restorative Lake Sciences and the Vermont DEC held a meeting to discuss potential solutions to address Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) and sediment levels in the Little Lake. The recording of that meeting is now available to view on YouTube by clicking here. Our two groups will post our thoughts and comments about the meeting soon, but we'd like to give you the opportunity to view the video first. Both the LSCA and the LSCCF welcome your comments.

- Have you watched the recording of our Virtual Annual Meeting? You can view it on YouTube by clicking here.

- For all the latest news on Lake St. Catherine, please follow us on Facebook, or keep an eye here on our Blog. Thank you!